I Know I Was for a While

22: I Guess I Didn’t Like It

Gently pulling the door closed behind him, Lionel spared a quiet yawn into his hand, his dark eyes closing for a couple of seconds as he tried to wake himself up slightly. It was late, the last time that Lionel had spared a look at a clock, it had a read a little past ten at night, but despite Camila’s insistence that she didn’t mind him heading home to get some sleep, he hadn’t quite worked up the desire to leave the hospital, not wanting to leave Camila or the baby behind.

It was still a strange thought, despite the fact that the baby had been born hours previous, Lionel still hadn’t quite wrapped his head around his presence, but he had to admit he was a little surprised by how comfortable he’d felt around him, even if he was still very tentative. Seeing Camila with the little boy was enough to remove any little knots of nervousness from the pit of his stomach.

He couldn’t deny that there was a small part of him that was nervous, with the baby having arrived, whatever it was that was happening between him and Camila was almost certain to change, but mostly he was excited for her, more than glad that the little boy had arrived without any complication. Camila had been looking forwards to it, even despite everything that had happened since she’d shared the news of her pregnancy, he knew that she’d been counting down the days until the baby’s arrival, and he was thrilled that it’d gone well for her. There was no denying that the little boy was beautiful and he had undoubtedly been worth the wait.

Staring down at the floor, he let out another tired yawn before the sound of movement reached his ears, something which caused him to pick his head up, his dark eyes settling on the bed where Camila laid, stirring gently in her sleep. Quirking a small smile, he stepped up to the side of the bed before he leant towards her slightly, tenderly brushing a few loose hairs off of her face. Camila stirred a little at the feel of his fingers, but didn’t wake up, something which caused Lionel to breathe out a small sigh of relief before he leant backwards, plopping down into the seat which sat beside the bed with his eyes closed.

“You’re still here”

Lionel, who’d been enjoying the quiet which filled the room, blinked his eyes open before he looked up, his stare settling on Tessa who stood in the doorway, the baby grumbling quietly in her arms. Blinking a couple of times, he quirked a shy smile before he shook his head. “You sound surprised” he mused sheepishly.

“Not really” The midwife replied with a warm smile. She wasn’t surprised, even despite his nervousness before the baby had arrived, she’d seen him and Camila together since the little boy had arrived, and she could tell that he was a little smitten, something which made his presence no surprise to her at all.

Lionel felt his cheeks warm a little before he shook his head, diverting his eyes down towards the baby who sat in the midwife’s arms, grumbling quietly. “Is he Ok?” he asked.

Tessa glanced at him for a second, not missing the warmth in his expression, before she nodded. “He’s fine” she mused “But we think he’s probably going to want to be fed in a little while and I thought I’d come and see if Camila was up” she added.

Lionel spared a look towards Camila, smiling a little as she let out a snuffle in her sleep, before he turned back towards Tessa. “I could...I could keep an eye on him” he stumbled out “If that’s OK. I mean, I get it if you’d rather taken him back to the nursery, but if he needs Mila soon...” he trailed off, his cheeks flushing a deeper shade of pink.

Tessa quirked a small smile, a little amused by how timid he was, before she nodded her head gently. “He’s been a little grumpy” she mused as she stepped towards him, gently lowering the little boy down into his arms.

Lionel watched her settle the baby down into his arms before he quirked a small shy smile, something which Tessa mirrored as she took a pace backwards. “The nurses’ station is right outside if you need anything” she mused “And I’ll pop in to check how things are going in about half an hour” she added.

Lionel nodded, his dark eyes not shifting away from the baby who laid in his arms.

Tessa smiled at the two of them for a second before she stepped across the room, ducking out of the door before she pulled it closed.

Lionel looked up at the sound of the door closing before he shook his head, retuning his stare to the baby. Adjusting his arms slightly, he watched the little boy pout for a couple of seconds before he shook his head, another slightly nervous laugh falling out of his mouth. “You look like your mama when you do that” he mused quietly, his fingertip gently brushing against the bottom of the baby’s foot.

The baby stirred a little before he let out a quiet sigh, something which made Lionel’s nervous smile widen a little. “She’s really excited about you, you know” he mumbled, brushing his finger back and forth of the baby’s tiny foot “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so excited about anything before. Even despite everything that happened with your...with your papa...” he trailed off, shaking his head at the mention of Noah.

Pausing for a second, he watched the baby let out a soft yawn before he felt another smile spread over his lips. “You look like her” he mused “You’ve got her nose. It’s cute like hers” he added.

“You think so?”

Lionel, who’d been staring down at the baby, startled a little at the sound of Camila’s voice before he lifted his head, offering her a sheepish smile. “How long’ve you been awake?” he asked, trying, and failing, to hide the dark blush which had spread over his cheeks.

Camila, who was still curled up against her pillow, shrugged. “I heard you and Tessa talking” she mused.

Camila smiled softly, not surprised by how nervous he seemed, before she shook her head. “I don’t mind” she mused “Although, I am a little surprised that you’re still here. I distinctly remember telling you that you could go home and get some sleep a couple of hours ago” she added, her voice warm and teasing.

Lionel breathed out a small laugh, his eyes meeting hers for a second before he turned back towards the baby. “I thought about it” he mused “But I just...I guess I didn’t like the idea of leaving you two behind” he added, a faint smile passing over his face as the baby let out another soft yawn.

Camila watched his face, her own smile widening as she spotted his, before she shook her head. “You need sleep” she mused.

“You want me to go?” Lionel countered impishly.

Camila shook her head. “I didn’t say that” she replied.

Lionel smiled at her. “I’ll get some sleep in a little while” he promised.

Camila offered him a dubious look, but didn’t press anymore, instead turning her eyes down towards the baby who laid in Lionel’s arms, drifting quietly off to sleep. Smiling, she admired the two of them together before she lifted her head a little, catching Lionel’s eye, something which caused a soft smile to light up her face once more.

Lionel held her stare for a second before he shook his head, a shy laugh falling out of his mouth. “What’s that smile for?” he quipped.

Lionel quirked an eyebrow, not missing the slight slip-up, but he didn’t have the opportunity to press it as the baby let out a soft cry, something which caused him to push himself up to his feet, moving to settle the baby down in Camila’s arms. “Tessa said that he’d be hungry” he mused as he took a step back from the side of the bed “I’ll give you a little privacy” he added, stepping towards the door.

Camila nodded. “Leo?” she pressed.

Lionel stopped in the doorway, offering her a look over his shoulder. “Huh?” he asked.

“You’ll be back in a little while, right?” Camila asked.

Lionel smiled at her before he nodded his head. “Of course” he mused “You can’t get rid of me easily” he added before he stepped out of the room, pulling the door closed softly behind him.

Camila listened to the soft click of the door before she shook her head, smiling down at the baby as she moved to start feeding him. “That’s my boyfriend” she murmured quietly to herself, unable to shake the smile off of her face.